Scratching
the
Stained‐
Glass
Ceiling
A
look
at
gifts
brought
and
challenges
faced
by
the
Church’s
women’s
leaders
By:
Renee
M.
Lareau
It
is
lunchtime
on
a
Thursday,
and
Sharon
Daly,
vice
president
for
social
policy
at
Catholic
Charities
USA,
talks
hurriedly
on
her
cell
phone,
the
buzzing
chaos
of
Washington’s
Union
Station
in
the
background.
Daly,
the
first
woman
to
occupy
this
position,
squeezes
a
phone
interview
in
between
legislative
meetings
on
Capitol
Hill,
with
the
future
funding
of
programs
like
Section
8
housing
and
Head
Start
at
the
forefront
of
her
mind.
A
25‐year
veteran
in
the
field
of
legislative
advocacy,
Daly
recalls
feeling
a
little
out
of
place
at
the
1984
bishops’
meeting,
the
first
she
attended
during
her
tenure
in
the
public
policy
arm
of
the
United
States
Conference
of
Catholic
Bishops
(USCCB).
“There
were
hardly
any
women
there.
I
just
remember
looking
out
into
this
sea
of
300
white
heads
and
gold
chains,”
she
says
with
a
laugh.
Despite
her
minority
experience,
Daly
has
never
looked
back.
After
holding
a
variety
of
legislative
advocacy
positions,
she
has
devoted
the
past
nine
years
to
Catholic
Charities’
advocacy
work
on
welfare
re
form,
tax
issues,
and
the
federal
budget.
Daly
is
but
one
in
an
expanding
group
of
courageous,
intelligent
women
leaders
in
the
U.S.
Catholic
Church,
women
who
have
been
named
to
top‐level
executive
Church
jobs
in
the
traditionally
male‐clergy
dominated
areas
of
personnel,
property,
and
policy.
These
highly
educated
women,
most
of
whom
have
served
the
Church
loyally
for
decades,
are
the
first
women
to
hold
positions
such
as
chancellors,
personnel
directors,
and
pastoral
administrators.
Though
they
embrace
a
collaborative
leadership
style
that
resists
self‐promotion,
these
women
are
not
the
type
to
shy
away
from
“firsts.”
Mary
Edlund,
55,
the
first
female
chancellor
of
the
Archdiocese
of
Dallas,
began
her
post
with
the
daunting
task
of
regaining
the
laity’s
trust
after
a
major
clergy
sex‐abuse
crisis
in
1997.
Carol
Fowler,
61,
the
first
female
director
of
personnel
in
the
Archdiocese
of
Chicago,
proudly
recalls
when
Cardinal
Joseph
Bernardin
asked
her
to
take
the
position
in
1991.
Valerie
Chapman,
53,
pastoral
administrator
at
St.
Francis
of
Assisi
Parish
in
Portland,
Oregon,
stood
in
the
designated
pastor’s
space
in
Portland’s
cathedral
as
the
archbishop
confirmed
her
parish’s
high
school
students.
Dolores
Leckey,
a
senior
fellow
at
the
Woodstock
Theological
Seminary
in
Washington,
D.C.,
now
welcomes
young
women
theology
students
into
her
office
for
informal
mentoring
sessions,
drawing
upon
her
rich
20
years
of
work
experience
as
founding
director
of
the
Secretariat
for
Family,
Laity,
Women,
and
Youth
at
the
USCCB.
Though
most
U.S.
Catholics
would
not
be
surprised
to
learn
that
women
comprise
83
percent
of
those
engaged
in
parish
work,
many
are
not
acquainted
with
the
increasing
number
of
women
who
hold
high‐level
administrative
Church
positions
in
dioceses,
social
service
agencies,
and
faith‐based
organizations.
These
pioneering
women
carry
with
them
an
enormous
amount
of
decision
making
power
by
virtue
of
the
positions
they
hold.
Daly,
Edlund,
Fowler,
Chapman,
Leckey,
and
many
women
like
them
are
changing
the
face
of
the
Church’s
leadership.
Their
stories
tell
not
only
of
the
rich
gifts
and
unique
leadership
styles
that
women
bring
to
the
Church,
but
also
of
the
challenges
that
come
with
being
a
“first”
in
anything.
A
Spirit
of
Collaboration
Many
women
bring
a
collaborative
leadership
style
into
organizational
structures
that
have
traditionally
operated
hierarchically.
“I
used
to
teach
math,”
says
Fowler.
“I
treat
issues
like
a
word
problem
and
try
to
be
a
problem‐solver
by
working
with
others.
Sometimes
this
means
that
I’ll
decide
more
slowly.
If
I
have
a
disagreement
to
deal
with,
for
example,
between
[religious
educators]
and
principals,
I’ll
pull
together
a
committee
to
look
at
the
problem.”
Sister
of
Mercy
Sharon
Euart,
58,
a
canon
lawyer
in
Silver
Springs,
Maryland,
agrees
that
for
many
women
leaders
the
decision‐making
process
is
as
significant
as
the
decision
itself.
“Women
tend
to
be
more
attentive
to
things
like
process
and
dialogue.
This
can
extend
the
decision‐
making
process
but
can
generate
ownership,
understanding,
and
support.”
But
Daly
doesn’t
see
this
style
as
unique
to
women.
“Before
I
saw
a
lot
of
leaders
I
assumed
that
collaboration
was
unique
to
women.
Now
that
I
have
worked
with
lots
of
leaders
I’m
not
convinced
that’s
the
case.
Collaboration
does
not
come
any
more
naturally
to
me
than
to
my
male
counterparts,”
she
says.
But
collaboration
is
essential
for
influencing
legislation.
“It’s
a
complex
dance,”
she
says.
“You
have
to
have
relationships
with
both
allies
and
opponents.
The
best
leaders
in
this
line
of
work
are
people
who
are
collaborative.
It
doesn’t
matter
if
they
are
male
or
female.”
Leckey
found
a
collaborative
leadership
style
helped
in
her
work
with
the
USCCB
because
“I
wasn’t
competitive
with
the
bishops
like
some
men
were.
Many
of
them
had
gone
to
seminary
together
and
suddenly
one
of
their
classmates
was
named
a
bishop,
and
one
of
them
would
be
thinking,
‘
Well,
I
was
smarter
in
liturgy
than
he
was.’
That
wasn’t
an
issue
for
me.”
Relationship‐building
can
be
a
challenge
for
women
Church
leaders,
especially
when
working
with
clergy
who
have
access
to
informal
social
networks
that
often
exclude
women.
During
her
tenure
as
the
first
female
associate
general
secretary
at
the
USCCB,
Euart
says,
“There
were
times
I’d
feel
left
out
of
the
conversation
because
there
had
been
previous
conversations
that
had
taken
place
at
the
priests’
residence
before
work,”
she
says.
“I
had
to
let
[the
priests]
know
that
while
it
may
have
happened
unconsciously
it
was
not
helpful
to
the
decision‐making
process.
I
learned
to
adapt
to
this
and
looked
for
more
information
when
it
was
appropriate.”
Answering
the
Call
The
majority
of
women
who
now
serve
in
these
high‐level
administrative
positions
speak
out
of
many
years
of
experience
working
in
the
Church.
Most
believe
that,
in
their
case,
familiarity
has
its
privileges.
This
was
certainly
the
case
for
Edlund,
who,
in
the
wake
of
a
major
clergy
sex‐abuse
trial,
was
given
the
responsibility
of
reviewing
sexual
abuse
allegations
involving
minors,
reconstituting
advisory
review
boards,
and
heading
up
the
priest
personnel
board,
which
had
historically
been
composed
of
all
clergy.
Edlund,
who’d
worked
for
the
Dallas
archdiocese
since
1979,
says
she
definitely
“had
an
advantage
in
that
I
already
had
a
good
working
relationship
with
the
clergy.
They
were
getting
a
known
entity.”
Euart
agrees.
Being
the
first
female
associate
general
secretary
of
the
USCCB
was
a
challenge,
but
“I
felt
that
I
moved
into
it
smoothly
because
I
was
not
completely
unknown.
I
felt
tremendous
staff
support
and
support
from
the
bishops.
This
was
important
because
one
of
my
responsibilities
was
to
supervise
10
departments,
most
of
which
were
headed
by
priests.”
Unfortunately
for
Euart,
being
a
known
entity
wasn’t
quite
enough.
In
the
fall
of
2000,
after
13
years
as
the
USCCB’s
associate
general
secretary,
Euart
was
asked
to
leave
her
post.
This
was
especially
painful
for
her
in
light
of
the
fact
that
she
was,
in
the
minds
of
many
clergy
and
lay
people,
the
leading
candidate
for
the
general
secretary
post
itself.
When
the
U.S.
bishops
asked
the
Vatican
if
religious
or
other
lay
people
could
be
nominated
for
the
job,
according
to
a
September
2000
article
in
the
National
Catholic
Reporter,
the
answer
from
Rome
was
a
resounding
“no.”
The
general
secretary
serves
as
the
day‐to‐day
chief
operating
officer
of
the
bishops’
conference.
Though
only
priests
have
held
the
post
since
the
position’s
inception
in
1918,
canon
law
does
not
specify
that
this
high‐level
administrative
position
must
be
held
by
a
priest.
Not
only
did
Euart
not
get
the
top
job,
she
lost
her
job
as
associate
general
secretary.
“The
new
general
secretary
wanted
to
hire
his
own
staff,”
she
says.
“It
was
the
most
painful
professional
experience
I
have
ever
had,
and
there
wasn’t
anything
I
could
do
about
it.”
Jane
Bensman,
54,
a
pastoral
associate
at
Queen
of
Martyrs
Parish
in
Dayton,
Ohio
and
the
only
full‐time
pastoral
staff
member
at
the
500‐
family
parish,
experienced
her
own
job
security
scare
when
her
pastor
was
removed
in
April
2002
in
the
face
of
a
substantiated
allegation
of
sexual
abuse.
An
interim
pastor
was
appointed
who
was
“very
difficult,”
according
to
Bensman.
“It
was
pretty
much
a
mess,
and
he
handled
things
very
inadequately,”
she
says.
“He
didn’t
want
[the
staff]
to
be
in
charge,
even
though
we
really
had
been
the
ones
who
had
been
in
charge
all
along.
We
definitely
didn’t
fit
into
his
mold
of
how
he
thought
things
should
be.”
Thankfully,
the
interim
pastor
only
stayed
for
three
months,
and
Queen
of
Martyrs
now
shares
a
new
pastor
with
a
neighboring
parish.
Bensman
says
the
new
pastor
is
“someone
who
works
with
me
like
I
am
an
equal,
a
colleague.”
Called
to
Serve
Despite
the
loss
and
difficulties
that
accompanied
Bensman
and
Euart’s
experiences,
both
stand
firm
in
their
convictions
they
are
called
to
serve
the
Church.
“My
heart’s
desire
is
finding
a
way
to
serve
the
bishops
in
this
country
again,”
says
Euart,
who
now
serves
various
dioceses
and
religious
communities
as
a
consultant.
“It
was
ultimately
because
of
the
people
that
I
stayed
at
the
parish,”
says
Bensman.
“I
felt
that
I
could
provide
stability
in
the
transition.
I
spent
a
lot
of
time
praying
about
my
decision,
and
it
turned
out
to
be
wonderful.”
Euart
and
Bensman’s
deep
sense
to
ministry
is
echoed
emphatically
by
many
women
administrators.
Such
anecdotal
evidence
is
bolstered
by
a
March
2002
study
by
the
Leadership
Conference
of
Women
Religious
(LCWR),
the
first
academic
study
of
women’s
experiences
in
Catholic
Church
administrative
roles.
The
LCWR
study,
titled
“Women
and
Jurisdiction:
An
Unfolding
Reality,”
found
that
85
percent
of
the
426
women
interviewed
reported
a
high
sense
of
vocation
or
calling.
Does
this
mean
that
these
women
feel
a
call
to
the
priesthood?
Are
these
administrative
positions
simply
the
next
best
thing?
“
Ordination
has
never
been
an
interest
of
mine
personally,
but
that
is
not
to
say
that
I
am
not
aware
of
other
women
who
are
interested
in
it,”
says
Euart.
“My
gifts
are
in
administration.”
Fowler
echoes
a
similar
sentiment.
“I
don’t
believe
that
God
calls
you
to
something
that
isn’t
going
to
happen,”
she
says.
“But
the
sense
of
vocation
is
very
strong
in
me.
My
call
is
the
absolute
number
one,
overarching
reason
why
I
do
this.
It
comes
out
of
Baptism.”
Though
these
leading
female
Church
administrators
enjoy
unprecedented
access
to
decision‐making
power,
the
introduction
to
the
LCWR
study
sounds
a
note
of
caution
and
reality
with
respect
to
decision
making
and
ordination:
“As
long
as
jurisdiction
(the
power
to
govern)
is
tied
to
ordination,
a
very
limited
number
of
roles
with
authority
will
be
open
to
women.”
Though
the
number
of
high‐level
women
administrators
is
increasing,
they
are
still
the
exception
rather
than
the
norm.
In
the
end,
it
is
by‐and‐large
the
ordained
clergy
who
have
the
final
say
in
major
administrative
decisions.
The
average
age
of
women
Church
administrators–59.5
years
according
to
the
LCWR
study—raises
the
question
of
who
will
carry
the
torch
for
the
next
generation.
For
those
gathered
at
a
March
2001
first‐ever
national
gathering
of
women
diocesan
leaders,
recruitment
of
younger
women
occupied
a
prominent
place
on
the
agenda.
Sheila
Garcia,
assistant
director
of
the
USCCB’s
Secretariat
for
Family,
Laity,
Women,
and
Youth
says
that
she
is
“terribly
concerned
that
there
are
not
enough
younger
women
in
the
pipeline.
We
need
to
point
out
to
them
the
number
of
leadership
positions
that
are
available....Many
younger
women
think
that
because
they
can’t
be
ordained
there
is
no
way
they
can
have
a
meaningful
role.”
Fowler
experiences
this
dearth
of
women
firsthand,
especially
when
she
serves
as
the
only
woman
on
an
18‐
member
advisory
council
to
Chicago
Cardinal
Francis
George.
While
other
women
attend
the
meetings,
Fowler
is
the
only
voting
female
member
of
the
council.
“We
need
more
women
at
the
higher
level
positions
for
their
perspective
on
life,
Church,
and
who
God
is
in
our
lives.”
A
Female
Perspective
Other
women
administrators
speak
emphatically
of
the
continued
need
for
a
women’s
viewpoint
in
the
Church,
and
the
challenges
they
face
in
making
that
perspective
heard.
“[It]
will
not
happen
unless
women
get
in
there
and
work
at
it,”
says
Chapman.
“It’s
not
like
going
through
the
seminary,
where
when
[seminarians]
finish
they
will
be
guaranteed
a
job.”
Chapman
emphasizes
the
need
for
older
women
to
mentor
younger
women
“and
not
to
feel
threatened
by
them.
With
so
few
leadership
opportunities
for
women
available
there
is
a
tendency
to
be
protective
of
the
few
opportunities
that
do
exist.”
Competitive
salaries,
mentoring,
and
opportunities
for
graduate
education
and
leadership
will
help
ensure
that
educated,
trained
younger
women
will
be
ready
and
willing
to
lead
the
Church
in
the
future.
Mentoring
is
a
high
priority
for
Catholic
Charities’
Sharon
Daly,
who
tries
“to
challenge
the
people
who
work
for
me
to
grow.
I’m
just
as
likely
to
send
someone
else
from
our
staff
to
a
meeting
on
Capitol
Hill
as
I
am
to
go
myself.”
Euart
says
that,
despite
the
professional
challenges
she
has
endured,
she
highly
recommends
the
field
of
Church
leadership
to
women.
“If
younger
women
have
the
gifts,
the
desire,
and
the
training,
and
have
a
love
for
the
Church,
it
is
worth
a
try.
Women
have
to
try
to
find
a
niche
in
the
structure
that
currently
exists—
we
can’t
lose
sight
of
the
fact
that
this
is
a
hierarchical
Church,
and
that
isn’t
going
to
change.”
Jane
Bensman
looks
to
the
future
of
the
Church
with
hope.
“The
future
potential
for
women
will
only
increase,”
she
says,
“and
the
field
of
Church
ministry
will
continue
to
be
strengthened
because
of
it.”
While
women
administrators
may
not
have
access
to
the
social
or
ecclesial
networks
that
ordained
clergy
have,
many
cultivate
a
variety
of
formal
and
informal
support
networks.
Mary
Edlund
relies
on
other
women
in
the
chancery
and
classmates
from
her
canon
law
program.
Jane
Bensman
participates
in
a
bi‐monthly
meeting
of
area
pastoral
associates
who
gather
for
prayer,
networking,
and
education.
Valerie
Chapman
meets
every
six
weeks
with
pastors
and
the
vicar
of
clergy
and
also
attends
regular
meetings
with
an
ecumenical
community
organizing
group,
close
priest
friends,
and
pastoral
associates
who
have
responsibilities
similar
to
hers.
Renee
M.
Lareau
is
the
author
of
Getting
A
Life:
Flow
to
Find
Your
True
Vocation
(Orbis,
2003).
She
lives
in
Columbus,
Ohio.
Reprinted
with
permission
from
U.S.
Catholic,
September
1,2003.
Copyright
2003
by
U.S.
Catholic